Book Review: "Obsessed"

A great long-form narrative demands at least one irresistiblecharacter. If a writer finds a protagonist who is quirky, contradictory,charming, sadistic, or interesting in any other way, the reader will follow that character through any number of complex ideas.In OBSESSED: The Compulsions and Creations of Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz, released this past weekend, writer Steve Volkfinds that special character and describes him beautifully. Accordingto Volk's depiction, Schwartz is a socially awkward, belligerentpsychiatrist whose research has been unfairly shunned by the scientificestablishment. He is an unsung hero whose revolutionary behavioraltherapy has rescued thousands of people from the irrational fears andrepetitive behaviors of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). If hissuccess continues, Schwartz may even rescue the withering concept offree will.Great long-form science writing is not only about the yarn,however. It's also about pulling away from the character's seductiveorbit in order to put his or her ideas into a wider scientific context.And Obsessed, unfortunately, doesn't do that well. Volk tells aslanted truth about Schwartz, the man, and about how his work fits intothe larger field of anxiety research. That shortcoming is particularlydisappointing given that Obsessed is the debut long-form e-book of an established science magazine, Discover.Read more at...Download the Universe, August 2013.